The Asking Price - Love or Honor
by Ivy Hitsugaya
Summary: Summary inside. Slow start. Rating subject to change. Theme song - Undone by FFH. Multiple genre. Multiple characters. Romance, Mystery, Adventure, Humor, Horror, Supernatural, Spiritual, Family, Friendship.
1. Cruel Memories

A half-year after Naru and Lin go back to England, Mai disappears while helping on a case. Naru and Lin come back to find her. Two years later, she is suddenly back, with a new last name ah wont tell them and apparently has a family that adopted her. But this Mai is different. Like Naru, she hides the full truth. This time, will it be her who is figured out? Or will she tell them herself?

Poll for pairing to be taken later. Rating subject to change, has Shuuhei X Mai, Lin X Mai, Naru X Mai, and Mai X Byakuya, if you want to see it that way. The pairing is not yet decided. The Bleach characters won't come in till a bit into the story, but they WILL show up, and I am planing for Byakuya, Toshiro, Rukia, Shuuhei, Gin, Ichigo, Shuuhei, and Ukitake to play larger Bleach parts than the others. A while after that, she will return to the GH world and we get to see the members of SPR again, but it might be a while. Not too long, though.

** ~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~ **

**_START!_**

** ~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~ **

_**Eleven months ago… ***_

Three days. Three days since they had arrived back in England from Japan.

Luella Davis stared worriedly at her son. Even since he came back, he'd been snappy. He and Lin both, now she thought about it. And it was getting worse.

Especially with the realizations about themselves and what they wanted Naru and Lin had both made in those three days. Leaving Japan had forced them to think about it, because they were facing up to a future without everything they'd left behind.

They'd all sat down for a family dinner. Luella, Martian, Naru, Lin, and Lin's little siblings Qiu, Zhen, and Jiang.*

Everyone was quiet, staring worriedly at Naru and Lin, who both had their heads uncharacteristically laying on the table.

"Naru, Lin… whats going on? Why are you both so… depressed?" Luella finally asked.

"Teeeeeaaaaaaa." Both men groaned.

Their families _stared_.

"I'LL MAKE SOME!" Zhen immediately shrieked, leaping up and sprinting around the counter to the kitchen.

"Don't bother." Lin called to her. She paused, looking hurt.

"But… you guys are so sad… so… why…?" She nearly whimpered.

"While I was in Japan, I hired a second assistant. She made our tea, and it… it was…" Naru explained, then trailed off, lost for words. That's right. _Naru_ was lost for words.

"More addicting than heroin…" Lin finished for him.

"You are… depressed and moping… because of _tea withdrawal._" Martian stated in disbelief.

Naru and Lin lifted their heads from the table long enough to nod, then let them fall back down, making the silverware and cups clatter a bit.

"That must be… some tea then."

"Yeah." Naru confirmed, his tone slightly dreamy.

Lin suddenly sat straight up. Naru turned his head to the other side to look at him.

"We didn't think this through." He suddenly stated to Naru, his tone ever so slightly alarmed. Which from Lin meant he was freaking out. "What if they keep researching?"

Naru started banging his head on the table, then looked at him. "Do you really think they'd be that stupid, to bring her?"

Lin gave him a look as if Naru's intelligence had plummeted before his eyes.

"...Don't answer that. Start sending money directly to the landowner to pay her rent. Then she won't need a job and won't know we're doing it. Tell Yasu's school to overwork him."

"You realize she'd do exactly as she said she would if she finds out. How did she say it… slowly crush our trachea to kill us, fishhook or brains out, and send them to laboratories."

Naru started banging his head against the table again. "She'd do that anyway, if we suggested it to her directly."

"Point taken." Lin acquiesced, then reluctantly got to his feet and went off down the hall to make the calls.

Their families stared in horrified silence, wondering what kind of hellish creature could have possibly struck such fear into the two seemingly invincible grown men. And who _she _was.

And their curiosities would remain unanswered for the months to come, no matter _how_ many times they asked who _she_ was.

Once, Naru had almost said a name. He'd been spacing out on a case, staring at the window. Lin had handed him a cup of steaming coffee. He'd jumped, and turned a bit to face him with a tiny smile, saying, "Thank you, Ma-… ah…"

Luella and Martian hadn't liked the pain that flashed across his and Lin's faces. They'd both looked away, and gotten absolutely nothing done the rest of the day, wandering around like ghosts themselves, glancing at their surroundings only to be disappointed by something.

None of the family had liked it at all.

"Maybe… you should go back." Qiu had spoken up that night. "You look so sad all the time ever since you got back from Japan. And when you mention this girl you guys know or your investigating team from there, you smile a little."

Naru and Lin simply resolutely shook their heads.

** ~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~ **

*** (1) For the purpose of this story, Lin is 23 when they leave Japan, because I want him to be the age he is in the anime, in this case 25, when she returns. Mai is 15 when they leave, 17 when she returns.**

*** (2) Lin's younger siblings. Qiu, Zhen, and Jiang. Qiu is a girl and the second child, then comes the girl Zhen, and lastly Jiang, a boy and youngest. Lin's parents are either off somewhere or dead or whatever, I'll decide that later.**


	2. Family Matters

** ~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~ **

**_Three days into the future..._**

** ~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~ **

"TEA!" Naru yelled out his door, then slammed it shut again. Lin ignored it. Everyone did. In the first two weeks back, he did that several times a day. For the three weeks after that, it was once a day. Two weeks after that, once every few days. Now, eleven months after he had returned, the tea calls had dwindled to once every week or two.

Zhen had made some when he called the first week or so, but stopped, because if he so happened to take a sip he would choke, put it down, and not touch it again.

The phone rang, Lin leaned over from the table to pick it up. "Hello?" He asked. His voice was a bit duller than the person on the other end of the line remembered.

"L… Lin?"

"John?" Lin's voice colored slightly with surprise. This last year had been hard for him and Naru, slowly breaking their spirits.

At the name, there were running footsteps approaching. Naru darted into the room, a couple curious family members he'd disturbed trailing after. Luella, Martian, and Qiu looked up from the case file they were reviewing.

Johns voice, speaking Japanese out of habit, trembled with something, be it sadness or fear. Probably both.

"Where's Naru. You both…"

"We're both here. I'm putting you on speaker. Whats happening." Lin demanded, also using Japanese, glancing at Naru as he clicked it into speakerphone.

"We took a case with monk. The Nozomi Shrine, near Karakura.* There were reports of disappearances, but no violence from the spirits… we were walking in to start interviews… she slept in on the way there, and was right behind us when we were walking in! I swear it!" John's voice became a bit frantic. "And then… she was gone! It's been _three days_, Lin! We've looked everywhere, and Masako hasn't sensed and spirits, _none_ of us have! There's nothing, but she's just _gone!"_

Lin looked at Naru. Naru nodded, then turned sharply, and raced down the hallway to pack for himself and Lin.

"We'll be there as soon as possible. It's a twelve-hour flight, so a day and a half at latest." Lin stated, glancing out the window at the early morning light, and hung up, instantly dialing the charter a private high-speed plane to Tokyo.

His second call was to the SPR office, to inform them that the president of the Japanese branch would be returning to his post.

They'd stayed with their families, because they knew that when they returned to Japan, it would be for good. But now, their _other_ family needed them.

It was time to go home.

** ~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~ **

* The area in Bleach that is 'Karakura' is actually RIGHT NEXT to Shibuya, with only a large park separating and acting as a border between them.)


	3. Unexpected Meeting

** ~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~**

Mai twitched in her sleep, and fell sideways, smacking her face into the window, which woke her up instantly. She sat up, blinking heavily, and returned Masako's stare.

"Whuuuuuut?" Mai groaned.

"Hm!" Masako turned her head aside, sticking her nose in the air and covering her mouth with one kimono sleeve. Uncomprehending, Mai glanced around.

The car had stopped, apparently right as she had woken up too, for no one had gotten out yet. _Oh yeah. Monk asked our help with this case,_ Mai remembered. _People have been disappearing at this shrine, and some of the priestesses keep getting glimpses of black figures._

Mai yawned, stretching, and unbuckled her seat, immediately shielding her eyes from the bright sunlight. She picked up her water bottle and took a moment to drain it the rest of the way, then started walking behind the others towards the shrine.

For a moment, she felt there was something missing, and scanned the group again. _What's wrong… oh, right. Naru and Lin._

Nearly a half-year ago was when Naru and Lin had left for England. They still didn't know when they would be coming back. Since then, she'd helped out Monk a couple of times on cases. But this is the first time they'd had a case big enough to need everyone together again, or rather what remained of 'everyone'. The first time 'the rest' had all gathered. Monk, Ayako, Yasu, Masako, and herself.

She looked away. It hurt too much. She was alone now. Yeah, she still saw the others, but… it wasn't the same.

She heard the client approach the group, and Yasu begin questioning him.

"Well," The man was explaining. "It's been going on as long as we can remember. This shrine is fairly young, but even while in construction it would happen. None of the construction workers noticed anything, except one, but even then it was only once. Doors will open and close, and things will suddenly be somewhere else, but not often, though occasionally food disappears.

"Sometimes you hear footsteps, quiet ones. Most often, its a black blur in the corner of your eye that looks like a person. Only a few of the shrine maidens can see the blur, and one or two of the monks can too. It's not often. The head priestess particularly sees them more clearly, she says they takes human shape, and that there are many of varying heights and body types. And a few times, people will feel like they bumped into someone, whether it just be grazing them or full-on. But there's no one there. Once one monk even said that he'd bumped into someone and fallen, and then that person had pulled him to his feet, but there was no one there! Every so often, one of the ones that could see the blurs would disappear… just like that… we called in a medium, but she didn't sense anything at all. So we called in another, and she didn't either, even though the head priestess who was there with saw a flicker of one of the blurs twice while she was there…"

Something caught Mai's eye in the woods surrounding the shrine. She trailed to a stop, watching, no longer listening. Something was compelling her to go see. Some place in the woods to her right… emitted some sort of energy. It wasn't bad… more like the sacred energy the Okubo gave off. She began walking again, following the instinct that said to go towards it.

After making her way along the overgrown path the arch, she stared at what she found. _Another shrine? Why is it all destroyed? And why re-build somewhere else? The new shrine is at least a mile away!_ She wondered. The shrine in front of her was smaller, small even for a shrine - and completely destroyed. The ground was scarred, even a hint of scorched earth remaining in the large gashes in the ground. Very little of the shrine's roof was standing, and everything was completely overgrown. Even the Torii* gate was completely covered in ivy, dull and paint peeling.

She narrowed her eyes at the gate, which still stood - _behind_ the shrine? But weren't they supposed to be out in front? But anyway, the weird feeling was coming from there. She made her way across the massacred courtyard, and to the gate, her eyes scanning the pillars on wither side, then she looked up at the double bars above as she passed underneath -

And suddenly the world dimmed, like a dark cloud had gone over the sun. And, _oh yeah,_ she was staring at a never-ending blackness. She looked around. Sheer purplish-grey rock cliffs looms on either side, and every sense inside her was going haywire, _screaming_ to run. And run she did.

After a while, a rumbling began behind her, right as a bright doorway came into sight. She forced her tired limbs faster, leaning forward a bit, heading desperately for that bright place as the rumbling grew louder. And right as it grew so loud it was nearly deafening, which happened extremely quickly, she reached that doorway and threw herself bodily through it.

A loud screech, and she slammed into something hard, but soft, that fell with her. She heard her breath huff out as she hit the ground, and another person's too. Groaning, Mai cracked one eyes open, then sat up quickly.

The thing she hit was a person, a girl about her height, with short black hair and dark blue eyes. Kind of like Naru and Gene's. The eyes blinked at her.

"S-Sorry!" Mai gasped, and quickly scrabbled to her feet, holding out a hand to the girl to help her up.

"Um… hello." The girl said uncertainly. "It's… fine. Ah… I'm… Rukia Kuchiki…"

"I'm Mai, and um…" Mai looked around at the Japanese-style village spread out around her. "Where the heck am I?"

** ~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~**

* Torii Gate - Those red arches out in front of Shinto shrines


	4. (Possible) Mental Instability

~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~

"And who are you?" The man in the pink kimono demanded.

"Mai Taniyama…" Mai answered faintly, glancing around the ornate room that the 'Head Captain' called his office.

"And why did you wish to meet with me?"

"I didn't, actually. Miss Rukia just said I should be brought to you…"

The man looked over at Rukia.

"She is not one of ours, Sir. She is alive, and yet here, so I thought it best."

"Hmmmmm?" He formed the sound into a question.

Mai blinked twice. _Alive? Uh… _"Erm… thats… correct?"

The man 'Hmm'ed again, this time sounding amused.

"And how did you come to be here?"

"I was on a case with my team - I'm a parapsychological researcher. We took a case at a Shrine just outside the Karakura area, where people have been disappearing. I went to look at the old shrine…" _And suddenly I was in a mountain pass, then there was this glowing doorway, and I was here. Yeah, they'd totally believe that, Mai!_

"You mean the Nozomi Shrine?" Rukia asked with curiosity.

I stared at her. "Yeah. You know it?"

"Yes! And that explains it! There's a naturally - occurring Senkaimon there."

"A what?" Mai asked blankly.

"If I answer that, will you answer a question or two of mine?" One of the people working in the office said curiously. There were a few scattered around, watching her instead of their work. Mai felt a twinge of jealously - Naru would have yelled at her for that.

"Sure." Mai agreed.

"A Senkaimon is a Gate that connects two worlds."

Worlds. She was in… a different world.

"Captain Ukitake, should you really be…" Rukia began worriedly.

"She deserves explanations, Rukia. If you suddenly were tossed into some other dimension you didn't know existed, you would want to know where you were and how to get home, wouldn't you?"

"Yes, Sir. I'm sorry." Rukia looked down at the floor.

"Do you have any other questions?" Ukitake asked her in a kind tone.

"…What about that… grey place? When I accidentally walked into the… Senkaimon… it took me to this weird cliff pass."

"Ah, the Dangai. It's the rift between the two worlds. The passage, I suppose. You didn't have a guide, so you had to go that way. Now it's my turn. Whats a parapsychologist?" Ukitake asked curiously.

"Someone who studies ghosts…"

"Oh! You mean like on those TV shows, where they go into dark houses that are falling down, and scream whenever someone knocks something over?" Rukia asked excitedly.

"No! I'm a researcher. Those people pretend to hear ghosts to entertain people. I research them in a scientific manner. There's a huge difference."

Rukia's curiosity only seemed to increase. "Is that possible?"

"Of course. It's rare to find a case of an actual haunting, but they are there."

"And have you found proof yet?" Ukitake asked, seeming amused.

"Yes."

"How many ghosts have you found?"

"We've only run across about a dozen or so Poltergeists. Most times it's something different. We even investigated a tainted one once."

"What did you do once you discovered one?"

"We get as much data as possible, and then exorcise it."

"You can exorcise spirits?" Ukitake asked, eyes widening a bit.

Mai giggled. "Me? No. But some of my teammates can. I'm a Psychic, not a priest or monk. I know a little Onmyodo and a bit of warding magic, but thats about it."

"You're a Psychic? So you can move stuff with your mind?" Rukia asked excitedly.

Mai laughed. "No, thats PK. I don't have any of that, it's an entirely different area. PK, psychokenesis, is the ability to effect the world around you with power of will. Psychic is Spiritual ability, such as the ability to see the spirits of the dead who have not moved on, or Astral Projection, the ability to have your spirit leave your body when you're asleep and do something such as search out another's soul who you want to talk to."

Ukitake and Rukia's expressions became even more curious. As did the Head Captain's, who was listening intently.

"That kind of stuff is real? But… then why don't we know about people like you… I think we would notice, if there were people who could have their souls leave their bodies."

Mai pushed aside curiosity about why they would expect to know something like that for consideration later. "Because the ability is incredibly rare, and on top of that, most never discover the ability in the first place. And then even more, there are varying levels of power, most being weak. And certain abilities are rarer than others, Astral Projection one of them. Most people don't believe in it because there are so many fakes, who ruin it for the rest of us. So, we use cameras, blueprints, thermometers, night-vision cameras, heat-vision stuff, mikes, and other stuff to gather evidence that the paranormal kind of thing actually exists so we have prof to back up our claims of spiritual activity." Mai explained at length.

"Huh. You weren't kidding about handling it scientifically."

"Nope. See, the general population-"

The Head Captain set down the cup he held, and all of us quieted. "Girl." He said. "The only way you would have been able to pass through that gate is if you had Reiryoku. But, you are from the World of the Living. It is incredibly rare one of you has any. As such, it is best to hone your skills, or it may end up overflowing and harming those around you."

Whut.

World of the Living.

Different dimension…

Your kind.

_Oh my Lord… I'm in the realm of the dead._

Mai blinked._ What the heck did I just think? If anyone here is insane, its them... and not the fun way either, though to them it probably is, and wouldn't that make it the fun kind then, at least in some way, so wouldn't that make it the fun way after all? Gah, I'm confusing myself. _Mai's brain decided to shut down instead of contemplate, and she stared at the Head Captain uncomprehendingly instead. "Eh?" She squeaked. "Um. Train… how… whaaat?"

Rukia just looked shocked.

"Shouldn't we send her to Ichigo then?"

Captain Ukitake seemed to smother a laugh. "Rukia, Ichigo learned his training methods from Urahara and Shihoin."

Rukia blanched. "Nevermind." She blinked a few times, as if clearing her mind. "Sir, I don't think academy life is the best for her, either, but thats just my opinion." She tried, slightly hesitantly.

"Speak your mind, Lieutenant Rukia." The Head Captain approved her.

"Well… she is alive, sir. The new recruits don't need to eat very often, and definitely not enough for a living human…"

Mai stowed away yet more questions, so many tangling in her head now that she felt dizzy. She reached _deep_ into her instincts and re-assed them, but her instincts weren't telling her what she wanted them to. They said these people were telling the truth, as confusing as the truth may be.

"What do you suggest, Lieutenant?"

"Er… well, she could still take classes there, but… she needs to live from a place that has food more often…"

"Squad barracks? I don't think the trained officers would take kindly to that."

"Then… well, I don't know, Sir…"

"Rukia." A cool, low voice interrupted. Everyone in the room looked to the door, where a figure with a new face stood. "You like this girl, do you not?"

"Yes, Nii-Sama." Rukia nodded to him.

"She may stay with us." The man said simply, glancing once at the Head Captain.

"Thank you, Captain Kuchiki. Your offer is accepted."

"What?!" Rukia yelped, her voice wavering as she seemed to make a conscious effort to not squeak. "Thank you, Nii-Sama!" She continued, and bowed to him. Mai stared blankly, looking back and forth between the two, having no idea what was going on.

"Um… th.. thanks?" She tried, her confusion showing plainly. The man's eyes seemed to lighten ever so slightly with amusement, before he turned and walked away. Rukia snatched my arm, and towed me along with her after him.

~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~


	5. Guitar Guy

~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~

Two weeks.

She had been gone two full weeks now. And she hadn't even realized it until two minutes ago because of how bad her head had been spinning, both from the knowledge, and from adjusting the high Reiatsu content in the air. The spinning because of the second reason had only started fading yesterday.

As the droning of the teacher on the importance of the 'ram' sign in Bakudo continued, her mind drift faintly to the people who were no doubt worried for her back in the World of the Living would be going crazy with worry by now. She was too exhausted and overloaded to truly care about that, but she did feel guilty.

Unlike her mortal school, Mai found her Shinigami subjects fascinating. She couldn't wait to try Kido. Their first attempt was scheduled for in three days, and she felt ready. She had all the steps completely memorized, along with the incantation.

No one talked to her, though, at the Academy. Because she was still alive. At first, she'd had no active Reiatsu whatsoever. Getting though the gate had only happened because it existed. But as she spent time here, her Reiatsu was rapidly awakening, and they weren't quite sure just how far her abilities would grow.

The only ones who talked to her were Rukia and Byakuya. Well, actually, Byakuya technically ignored her too, but he did that to everyone. He would instruct her sometimes though, on things about how to conduct herself as a guest of his house.

The deal was, they taught her to control her Reiatsu, she taught them what humans knew of ghosts and about the special abilities of humans in general. Then, once there was need for one, she would be stationed in the World of the Ignorant Idiots as a Substitute, a Shinigami that teaches others to survive in the modern world. Apparently, the lasts Substitute had died 20 some-odd years back, but he was powerful and became a Captain immediately.

Mai's thoughts of home and wondering just why it was always her that got into trouble slowly drifted away as her eyes closed…

_Black, surrounding her on all sides, tiny, rainbow lights drifting in the air, rising upwards… a voice, whispering to her… Gene? This was where she usually saw him…_

_No… Gene wasn't here. She knew that. The more Reiatsu she felt rising from dormancy within her, the clearer this place became, to the point she could now tell his presence was not here._

_But something else… was. She was not alone._

_She was never alone. Even when she lost her mother and father and thought herself completely by herself in the world, she had somehow known she wasn't. Even back then._

_'Was it you? Who was with me, comforted me?' She whispered absently to the void._

_Something flickered in front of her, a faint, fluttering flash. But then it was gone, and she dismissed it as one of the floating bubbles. Somehow, she knew it wasn't one, but for now she was okay with not knowing._

_One of the orbs floated up in front of her face, and she blew on it, then giggled when it twirl away. There was no air to blow here, not truly, and yet it had danced for her as if there was to amuse her. She held up a hand and batted at it slightly, surprised at how solid the light, floating little thing was._

_'Mai…'_

Mai woke with a start as the class dismissed and people stood. She too stood, and picked up her Bokken to head off to Zanjutsu* class.

Mai loved Zanjutsu. It made her feel as if someday she might not be useless. That if she worked hard enough, she could protect her friends, instead of it being the other way around. Like there was a chance she could be strong someday, even though Naru had told her that day would never come.

But alas, her journey was only beginning. As of yet they were only strengthening her body and doing beginning Katas, but she would still trip and fall flat on her face at the slightest overbalance. After the sixth trip made her get a cut on her arm from the worn wooden floor, she took a break to go get it healed.

This was exactly the reason the Academy has its own healers, even though it was one block away from Division Four. Also, because Division Eleven was on the other side of Division Four and they didn't want the recruits being killed.

But this just wasn't her day. The healer, another student reluctantly told her, had been called away to Division Eleven because Division Four was so busy today that a single Shinigami was literally making the futile attempt of doing the job of six others.

One rule of the Academy is that if a student was injured, they had to get treatment from someone qualified, meaning a graduate, before they could continue learning - though, this was because the injuries happened often and were usually serious. Even though it was just a cut - though two weeks ago she wouldn't have called it just a cut, but a gash - she had to follow protocol.

Luckily, Zanjutsu was her last class of the day, so she wouldn't be missing anything else as she waited.

Or maybe she would, Mai realized, when se walked into the Division Four main office.

There were so many people running through at Flash Step speeds that papers someone had dropped were permanently levitating, as one wave of air after another bombarded them, sticking them to the ceiling and twirling above people's heads, even as others tried to catch them.

And it was loud, the level of noise hurting even her human ears, which she had only just started to tune as part of her training. She felt sorry for any high-level, experienced Shinigami near this place.

Mai immediately headed for the back, where they had a few rooms reserved for students, behind the ones reserved for resting patients.

As she went along, the noise and what of the crowds dimmed to background noise, but her ringing ears began to pick up on a new sound entirely.

Music.

Mai had always loved music - her mother had played piano, and she remembered fairly dancing with her father as her mother played, or pressing one key at a time, playing along with her.

This wasn't piano, though, but guitar.

The person strummed a wrong note, paused, and started over.

It was coming from a few doors down and to her right, one of the last rooms before the student rooms. Someone seeking quiet and peace, obviously.

Mai carefully edged the Shoji door open and peeked in. No lights were on, the man playing reading by the sheet music he'd propped up in the afternoon light of the windowsill. He stopped again, turning the page, then paused, and looked straight at her.

Mai squeaked, and the man smiled, flicking his head slightly in invitation to come in and listen, then continued playing, singing along to songs that called for it.

After a moment, she slowly did so, opening the door just enough to slip in, and pressing her back to the door as she slid it almost completely closed, then sat down there, tipping her head as she listened.

The girl amused Shuuhei. She was like a cat, he thought, with her wide eyes showing curiosity, but cautious to approach for some reason. The longer he played, the closer she crept, so slowly he hardly noticed she was moving, and if he looked at her she would lean backwards and stop moving for a while.

So, it took until his light source was nearly gone for her to creep close enough to be reading over his shoulder.

Mai didn't know why she was being so cautious - something just told her he didn't like people who were all up in his face whom he didn't know. And there was something… different… about him, from the other presences she'd felt here, kind of like Byakuyas' a bit, in that it was… pure, she supposed. Like Gene, he and Byakuya both gave off a feeling of… happiness, just by being around them. Theirs were even stronger than Gene's though, by a lot. Their auras were very different, of course, but similar in that one quality. She didn't really know what to make of it.

Shuuhei turned the page, only to find there were no more songs left in the book. "Uhhhhh…" He stared at the blank sheet that was left before the back cover. Then he grinned, and turned around, which changed his place from sitting on the edge of the window seat to criss-cross facing her. She eyed him, still curious, but glanced at the door as if nervous.

"Um." He blinked once, almost competitively, before smiling and continued playing, a song that wasn't in the book.

_"Blackbird singing in the dead of night… take these broken wings and learn to fly…"_

When he was halfway through, however the door was suddenly flung open. Both looked up, startled. Byakuya's brow twitched.

"… You are late." Byakuya stated, as he walked across the room, took her by the arm, and dragged her away. Mai managed to twist around by hopping on one foot, and wave goodbye to the guitar player, whose name she hadn't gotten. After shutting the door behind him, Byakuya Flash-Stepped them to the Kuchiki mansion.

"What were you doing?" He asked calmly, as he set her down in the doorway.

"I like music. I was listening." Mai growled, pouting. Byakuya simply gave her a look, and walked over to the fancy little table near the doorway, opening the top drawer and taking out a length of bandage, before walking back over to her, and carefully wrapping her cut hand, which had long since stopped bleeding.

"You must be more careful, Mai. Remember, your human body is not as resilient as our spiritual ones. In the future, promise me that you will get help if you are wounded before doing things such as listening to music." He demanded, with a slight soft edge to his voice that was blatant when compared to his normal tone.

"Okay." Mai agreed. With a slight nod to her, Byakuya turned and continued on with whatever he had been doing.

~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~

* Zanjutsu - the swordsmanship style Shinigami practice.


	6. Study Buddy (Cough PartnerinCrime Cough)

~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~

"Heya!" A voice called up to her, and Mai yelped, nearly rolling off the roof which she was laying on. She had fallen asleep studying.

Carefully, she crawled around to look over the edge, to see a white-haired man waving at her. What was it with all the white-haired young people? Well, Ukitake's wasn't originally white. That was due to a chemical imbalance due to his sickness. But she had heard that the young Captain of the Tenth Division had naturally white hair. And this guy's looked almost as if it had a tinge of lavender in the shadows that a nearby tree cast on him. Weird.

The whitish-lavender-hiared guy asked a question, interrupting her deep contemplation of the subject.

"S' Cap'n Ukitake 'round here?" He asked with a strange, breezy accent. "Eh said eh was visitin the Headmaster here a while back, and never came back."

"I don't know… I think I caught a glimpse of him going in this morning, but I didn't see him come out."

The strange smile on whitish-lavenderish-hair-guy widened slightly. "Ah, thank ya! He probably got caught up talk'n. I've got some transfer paperwork from Division Ten for him, and it can't wait too much longer."

"You can wait if you want, for the relatively simple price of helping with my homework." Mai offered, grinning misheviously. He laughed.

"If you insist. Who would have thought such a manipulative girl could look so innocent, heh?"

"Who indeed." Mai giggled mirthfully. "I'm Mai, but lately everyone's called me Kit for some reason. It's spreading like wildfire, so you might as well get in on the trend."

"I'm Gin." He answered, leaping up from the ground to land lightly on the roof - without opening his eyes. _Ok then._

_Gin? As in Ichimaru Gin? The one who pretended to be a traitor to bring down Aizen? Isn't he the Lieutenant of Division Eight now, so that Ichigo can keep an eye on him? Rukia was ranting about how creepy he is the other day… but then again, psychotic people who specialize in mental warfare and non-physical torture a form of interrogation would be a little creepy…_

Gin carefully sat down next to her, and immediately pointed to question six. "That's a trick one. Reiatsu is only called Reiatsu when it is being emitted. When it's being contained, it's Reiryoku. They worded it to confuse you, ya?"

Mai's attention snapped to the page, and she stared, narrowing her eyes at the words on the page.

Two hours and all her homework later, Mai still laughing her butt off at how obvious he made the teacher's attempts to be sneaky, Ukitake walked out of the building. Immediately, Gin wedged his feet into the gutter and let himself swing down to hang upside-down right in front of the poor man.

"Cap'n, I've been waiting!" Gin said, sounding happy. But with Gin, you just never knew, something Mai was quickly learning.

"Ah, right! The paperwork! I'm sorry, Lieutenant Gin, for forgetting."

"It's alright! I've been talking to Kit-Chan. You really ought to get to know her - she's quite the sly little fox!" Gin said, in a way that made it seem he knew something all other's didn't.

"Ah you mean Mai? I've met her once or twice - she's been staying with my Lieutenant while she learns."

"Ya don't say? Even more talented than I thought, then, to survive living with Captain Kuchiki."

During this discussion, Mai had carefully wedged her feet into the gutter, copying Gin's position, and let herself swing down. "I'm still here, ya know!" She exclaimed dramatically, and then looked down/up at her feet. "Hey, it worked!"

The two Captain-Level Shinigami smiled at her in amusement.

"Also, Captain Ukitake, I was wondering if I might borrow a bit of unripe lemon from your garden?"

Ukitake stared at him suspiciously. "Who are you pranking, Gin."

"Ah, no one of consequence, Juushiro, no one of consequence."

Ukitake smiled. "Ah, well, then. I wish I could help you, but this season's lemons have yet to begin to grow after the last garden harvest."

"Theres some in our nature garden at the Kuchiki estate." Mai offered thoughtfully. "I could probably flitch one or two… so long as the person you're pranking isn't a Kuchiki, that is."

Gin's fake, creepy smile became a genuine one. "Really?"

"Sure, I guess."

"And other demands then, Kit-Chan? It's the least I can do to repay you."

"Just one thing." Mai said nonchalantly… and then grinned wickedly. A shudder worked its way along Ukitake's spine, and for some reason he was left feeling like he should be scared of the tiny girl.

"And that would be?"

The evil smirk widened.

"I want in."

~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~


	7. Mental Instability

~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~

"Alright, students, line up!" The Sensei barked. "The Captains that have offered to assess you today are here. Make sure to show them respect!"

All the students immediately darted to their assigned places. Mai looked to her left and right down the lines, noticing belatedly she was probably the youngest and smallest one here. This caused her some anxiety - would they think a child shouldn't be here? She knew most trainees were adult age by the time they went to the academy.

She could feel the fear causing her Reiatsu to activate, stirring her clothing, and closed her eyes to bring it back under control. She heard the whispers around her increase, then disappear, and knew the moment had arrived - the Captains were here.

It had been half a year since she had left the World of the Living behind, and now it was time for assessments. They would show their stills to the Captains, and they would decide which of them were ready to join a division as squad backup. If a Captain wanted one student in particular, the student would be assigned to that Division, but that was rare. Most times, they were just assigned based on their strengths. The rest were sent to Division Eight, which was a Division purely for force in numbers and backup for the other Divisions. That is, if they were ready to move on from the Academy.

But when she opened her eyes, she was momentarily confused. The three Captains that had come to asses them, the Captain's Coats proving their position, were walking towards them - only, the one leading the party was a little kid.

As if sensing her thoughts, the boy's eyes snapped to hers, and he eyed her critically before continuing on, appraising the rest of her classmates as well.

She noticed the dark green lining inside his Captain's Coat - Division Ten Captain. So, this was Hitsugaya Toshiro. She wasn't expecting the Captain of the busiest Division in the Seireitei to be so… young. When they had said he was the youngest Shinigami to ever earn a Captain's place in class, she was thinking of someone probably around 19 in Shinigami years.

_He could be, _Mai supposed._ Shinigami hardly age, after all, and the younger they are when they die the slower their souls grow. He's probably hundreds of years old in human years._

Again, as if sensing her thoughts, his eyes flicked to her, though it was probably just because he had singled her out as 'The Alive One'.

Behind the little white-haired Captain, the tall Captain - she knew him to be Captain Zaraki of the Eleventh Division - started laughing manically. The recruits shuddered.

He smiled at them, showing sharp canines, and giggled. Honest to Head Captain_ giggled._ The little girl perched on his shoulder giggled with them.

"Do ya think they're any good, Kenny?" She chirped.

"Eh, most look like a bunch of wussies. Couple of them, maybe, though."

"Don't forget, Kenny! Looks can be deceiving! Just take Peacock-Kun for example! He just wants to be pretty, but he's ours and has Shikai!"

"True, true." Captain Zaraki rumbled, his eyes once again sweeping the line. Mai gripped her bokken tighter.

"We'll just have to beat the shit out of them all and find out."

Mai paled slightly, but tried not to let it show. The third Captain, however, seemed to notice, and smiled at her with yellowed teeth. She wondered briefly if she would be worried that his face was painted like a clowns. Then decided she should be when his hand darted out as he tried to stab Captain Hitsugaya with a needle. Luckily, the needle bent against his skin as if it had hit a wall of something hard. He scoffed, and seemed to go into a pouting mode.

These kinds of people really made Mai wonder sometimes. Especially since it seemed that in the Soul Society the more insane someone was, the more powerful they were.

The Captains moved off to the side, leaving the area between the line of students and the targets across the yard clear. The test was beginning.

"Fire!" The Sensei ordered. Mai held up her hand, muttered the incantation under her breath, and sent a small red ball of energy at the target, only enough to destroy it and not everything around it like others did. She hit the target, slightly off-center, and the ball destroyed most of it in the resulting explosion. Well, at least she'd hit, instead of blowing herself up or missing like many of the others did.

"Spread out!"

Mai walked out into the field a bit, taking a stance with her bokken raised, executing the moves as the Sensei called them out. She tripped once on a turn, but caught herself and continued on.

"Demonstrate HoHo." The Sensei commanded. The students, one by one, left their positions, and leapt up on top of the wall surrounding the Academy grounds. It was about a half-foot thick, with corners that were very easy to overshoot. However, with how big the grounds were, the was plenty of time to slow down before each 90 degree turn. The back wall however, longest of the giant rectangle, was curved slightly, making footwork necessary.

When her turn came, last as always, Mai used a tiny dot of Reiatsu to aid her leap up onto the wall, and closed her eyes, collecting her Reiatsu close to her skin. Then, she ran, so fast that to human eyes - and some Shinigami ones - she disappeared.

She didn't overshoot - Mai's control was to perfect for that. Instinct, not training like for most, served her well in that way. However, her human body couldn't put up with the strain of such sped for long, as it made her go so fast that her blood could be acted on by the force. Thus, by the time she had finished the perimeter, her entire body was tingling. The wall length was just about her limit.

"Partner up!"

Immediately, friends within circles paired up. Mai already knew she wouldn't have one. She was the outsider, and there was an odd number of people in the class. These students had already been working together for two years. Luckily for her, the last six months of class was review, them cramming everything the students had learned over the year and a half into the last half-year.

The teacher reluctantly went to stand in front of her, and got into ready stance. Mai let herself slip into stance as well.

Hakuda* wasn't really Mai's best subject. Though she had very good Reiatsu control and dexterity, she lacked the innate strength and endurance having a spiritual form gave the others. Therefore, hand-to-hand just wasn't her area.

"Fight!"

Mai leapt to the side as a blow fell where she had stood, and dropped low in an attempt to sweep the teacher's legs out from under him. He simply jumped, and kicked her, sending Mai sliding several yards.

Mai didn't give up, leaping to her feet and feinting left, before darting right, ducking under the Sensei's next kick and striking a blow on a pressure point in his back. If she'd been stronger, it would have made his right arm useless. As it was, it probably only gave him a painful tingling. The teacher spun, and she block the strike to her gut from his elbow, but in doing so left her feet open. He unbalanced her, and tossed her back to the place several yards away, the hard earth adding more scrapes to her side and hands.

She got up again. Normally, the teachers went a bit easy on her, seeing as she was a trainee and human. Today, however, was a day to go all out.

This time, she decided on the direct approach. Her usual tactic was to use her opponent's comparative size and weight against them.

This time, she just flung herself at him in an undignified manner with a war cry.

Caught off guard by her unpredictable move, the teacher was knocked clear off his feet, though as he was falling he shoved both feet into her side and sent her flying, before hitting the ground with a huff of lost breath.

Mai gritted her teeth as she stood again. She'd hit the ground hard from high enough it was as if she'd fallen off a two-sorry building, and definitely had a cracked rib. She was done, and she knew it, but at the same time she was on a victory high. This was the first time she'd ever managed to knock a teacher off-balance.

The teacher got to his feet, smiled at her, came to attention stance, and bowed. With effort, Mai returned it, nearly falling over as she did. Then she decided it was time to sit down, and stumbled over to the porch o the Academy building, holding her side. They were one of the first matches done. The teacher turned back to the crowds and continued his duties by yelling at them.

_'Very good, Mai… soon, you will be ready…' _Mai heard a voice whisper, but her mind was too hazy from pain to really pay attention to it.

Lastly was the written test. It was just a basic over view of the details of each Division's duties and histories. It was also a test of endurance. After the fights, many came away wounded. The more advanced students, whom had already summoned their Zanpakuto, especially, as before the written test they went though their own specialized test of fighting Captain Zaraki himself to show their combat were not allowed to be healed until they had finished the exam, trying their pain tolerance.

Finishing somewhere in the middle, Mai immediately was rushed away by the healers to have her rib and scrapes tended to. That was one thing Mai loved about the afterlife - instant healing with Reiatsu control.

Lastly, was the interviews. The skill set of the trainee was assessed, and they were offered to any division that would suit them. The student would be presented to the Captain's meet, and the Captains of the Divisions the trainee was suited for would choose among themselves which Division she would be sent to.

The teacher led her into the Captain's room. All thirteen Captains were there, sitting casually (or straight-backed in Byakuya's case) at a long half-moon table. A circle which she now stood in. A few had their Lieutenants behind them, bust most did not, leaving their second-in-commands to run their division in the Captain's absence.

Several didn't have a Captain, so were having the seat filled by the Lieutenant - Shuuhei being one of them. Rukia was standing behind her Captain, glancing occasionally at her boyfriend Ichigo, the Division Eight Captain. I had met him a few times when he visited her at home.

"This is Mai, or as she is called by many, Kit, short for Kitten." The teacher began. Shuuhei grinned proudly, as he was the one to come up with the nickname. "She has only been in the class for six months - as you are aware, she is alive. Therefore, she has a very low endurance and strength in our standards. But in her time in my class, I've seen her go to great lengths to try not let the hinderance show. Her training in combat is not quite complete. It is not knowledge but experience she is lacking, which will come with missions. However, her Reiatsu control is very precise, meaning that with a bit more training she would be suited for Divisions Five or Eight. She is always the one who attempts to work smoothly with others when put in a team, showing she would be suited for Divisions Ten and Thirteen. Because she has accessed her Reiatsu before her death, she will be able to remember this life when she reaches death, and will be a great source of information on the human world, and asset to Division Nine." The teacher finished, and stepped back for them to observe her.

"And she's really good at annoying people into giving information, and then using their weakness against them! Especially ones involving electrocution!" Gin piped in from behind Ichigo.

Ichigo, remembering the incident of prank-gone-wrong well, whimpered.

"She is welcome in my Division." Ukitake offered immediately. Rukia beamed at him, making it obvious who had made the request to allow her to join them.

"Ours too!" Shuuhei immediately countered. He and Rukia glared at each other.

"She would fit in perfectly with Division Ten." Captain Hitsugaya said firmly, as if it wasn't a discussion.

"I was going to say she's allowed in mine, but since there's already so many who want her, I'll withdraw it." Ichigo said, glancing at Mai and snickering at her shocked expression. There usually weren't any more than one, at most two Divisions, that decided to take recruits unless they were exceptional. She wasn't - in fact, she was fairly weak in terms of Shinigami ability, because of her human fragility.

Captain Ukitake laughed at them all, seemingly thinking along the same lines as her. "How'd you manage to win over so many people in such a short time, Kit-Chan?" He asked. Mai simply stared between the four Captains whom had spoken up in astonishment.

"Let her finish her training, then." The Head Captain's voice spoke up. "And she will be placed according to the affinity of her Zanpakuto in whatever Division would be best, between Divisions Thirteen, Nine, and Ten."

~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~

*Hakuda - Hand-to-hand combat style Shinigami practice.


	8. Whispered Words

~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~

There were six of us there.

Six students chosen to attempt to find their Zanpakutos.

Mai stood before the cave, the one that they used for this sort of thing and had for the last thousands of years. Where Shinigami found themselves.

"Mai." Rukia whispered to me, as we stood before the entrance. "For the entire time you've been here, you've stayed with us. Nii-Sama and I admire your quick progress, and have decided something."

I glanced at Rukia curiously.

"A Zanpakuto," Ukitake, the one leading us six, said to us all, "Is the physical manifestation of your soul in another form. Your Zanpakuto's consciousness is a representation of your true self. Find who you are, truly, and you find your Zanpakuto."

"We've decided to help you find yourself, as Captain Juushiro so aptly put it. The first step to finding yourself is knowing what's important to you. Why you're fighting. Part of what makes that is who you consider your family, where you call home. Wether you achieve your Zanpakuto today or in ten years is irrelevant in this matter. We want to give you that, Mai. Would you like to be a Kuchiki?"

Those whispered words changed my views of reality.

~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~


	9. Past & Present

~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~

She was floating. But she wasn't. But she was.

She was standing. But there was nothing beneath her feet.

She was weightless. But she was very much weighed down in place.

Rainbow bubbles danced around her. The world was vast, empty, and dark. Except those bubbles.

_'Why do you deserve me?'_ A familiar voice Mai had never heard before whispered. It was rough, harsh, but in a natural way. Like a smooth purr, a sound from deep in the throat.

_'Where am I?'_ Mai wondered. _'I know this place. This is where I go when I dream walk. Crap, I fell asleep?! I'm supposed to be meditating to find my Zanpakuto!'_

_'Why do you want it?'_

_'… What? Why wouldn't I?'_

_'You think its that easy? Who are you, Kuchiki Mai?'_

Kuchiki. She had been adopted, by official invite of Byakuya into the high Kuchiki clan.

_'Who is Taniyama Mai? Who is Kuchiki Mai? Is there a difference?'_

_'Of course!'_ Mai yelled back at the voice. _'Taniyama Mai is that weak girl from before! A Kuchiki is powerful, strong!'_

_'And? Who are you? Taniyama Mai, or Taniyama Kuchiki?'_

Taniyama Mai is that weak girl from before. 

_'Taniyama is that weak girl… The one who cowered away and cried at mere dreams.'_ Mai repeated to herself uncertainly. _'I'm not weak like that. Who am I?'_

_'Yes. Who are you? Why do you want power, Mai?'_

_'Why…' _

An image appeared in the black. Of her ghost hunting team back home.

_'To… protect them.'_

'_Mere humans? Is that the only reason? Isn't that what Taniyama wanted? That weak girl who could do nothing? You are a weak girl who can do nothing?'_

_'… Yes… I was always being hurt… they always had to save me.'_

_'And do you need saving, Mai? Are you trapped here in the world of Shinigami? Do you just want to go home?'_

_'Yes. I want to go home, and have dinner with my family, every single night. I want them safe!'_

_'And who is your family? Where is home, Mai?'_

A flash of another image, of the Kuchiki manor's garden. Sitting underneath a cherry tree for afternoon tea with Byakuya and Rukia. No… with Nii-Sama and Sister.

_'Ah, so thats your family?'_

Warmth filled her. _'Yes. They're my family.'_ She stated proudly to the voice.

_'But aren't you Taniyama Mai?'_

The words lashed at her like a whip. Taniyama Mai is weak. 

_'So… who are you, really?'_

_'I… I am Kuchiki Mai.'_

_'Ah, a Kuchiki! It's an honor, isn't it. The Kuchiki are so strong! Are you strong too?'_

_'… No…'_

_'Ah. Then you have no place here, do you. You should just give up, Taniyama.'_

_**'NEVER!**__ I'll never give up.'_

_'Why?'_

_'… Huh?'_

_'Why won't you give up? What won't you give up on, Mai?'_

Mai was confused now. Lost. When she sat down on that hard stone floor, meditating, to find herself, she thought she knew who she was.

_'Who are you? Why does Kuchiki Mai fight?'_

_'I fight to protect the things precious to me. I won't let anyone touch them!'_

_'Ah, is that so. What about that Byakuya? He's very strong. I don't think he'd like it if you tried to stop him from fighting for what he values.'_

_'I fight to protect them. I hated being weak… I can't just inflict that same self-hatred on those I love, now can I. I have to let them fight for themselves, too. Nii-Sama is strong. He can fight. I don't need to protect him. If he ever needs me to, I will.'_

_'Oh! With an attitude like that, you must be Kuchiki Mai!'_

_'Yes. Yes, I am Kuchiki Mai.'_

_'And Kuchiki Mai fights for the things she hold precious.'_

_'Yes.'_

_'What about Taniyama, and the things she hold precious?'_

_'Those things are precious to me too.'_

_'But Taniyama was always being protected by them.'_

_'Yes. But no more. The person they knew as Taniyama is actually me. Kuchiki. I am strong. Nii-Sama and Rukia have faith in me… I will not let that leave my knowledge again. Kuchiki is my home, but Taniyama is what gave her the will to protect.'_

_'So. What now?'_

_'I'll find my Zanpakuto. I'm a Kuchiki after all! It simply won't do for a Kuchiki not to have a Zanpakuto!'_

_'So… Kuchiki Mai dreams of being so strong, that she can protect everything she holds dear. That's her world.'_

_'Yes.'_

_'And you are, again? I got lost, I think. Taniyama and Kuchiki are confusing people, after all.'_

**_'I am Kuchiki Mai!'_**

The world exploded with dazzling white, and Mai blinked to clear the stars from her vision. She looked around, then up.

Curled around her was a massive fox, shining with pure white light. A very cold white light. It's tail curled forward around her, sweeping Mai into the curve of its body. She could see lightning dancing over its fur, giving it the pure with glow. Where its fur swept the ground as it pulled her close, white flame edged with blue was left behind, radiating freezing air.

The fox touched it's muzzle to her forehead, and the world spun away to black.

Mai's eyes shot open. Gone was the dark field filled with bubbles, the biting cold flames and fur crackling with lightning.

In front of her, resting in her lap, was a silver sword, a fairly long one, but not too long. It was slender, and thin as paper, but looked incredibly sharp. Unlike a traditional Katana, it was completely straight, with a double-sided edge point like a broadsword's would have, but had the one blunt edge as a Katana would have. The hilt was short, with a intricately carved ten-point star for the guard, wrapped in white and cobalt wrap. The sheathe was pitch-black, with a golden cord.

It was beautiful, to say the least.

Mai stood, wincing as her legs shook a bit and tingled. Just how long had she been sitting in meditation pose?!

She exited the cave. It was dark out. Four of the original six were left behind her.

Rukia and Byakuya were waiting.

Mai unsheathed her sword, pointed it at the sky, and let out a victorious howl.

~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~

"Kuchiki Mai, you are assigned to Division Ten. Flames and Lightning - a powerful type that usually causes widespread damage, at least once you achieve Shikai. Therefore, you are assigned to the division that deals with large-scale operations." The Head Captain stated.

Rukia wailed, Shuuhei cursed at Hitsugaya, and Ukitake fell back into his chair to pout. Mai merely turned to face her new Captain, and bowed with her eyes down.*

"I'll serve you the best I can, Captain Hitsugaya!" She declared.

Her Captain nodded at her. "I'll send someone to show you the ropes tomorrow at noon. You were meditating four days. Get a bit of rest tonight."

"Yes, Sir!" She bowed cheerfully. The Shinigami, other than the Kuchiki's seeing as the meeting was held at the meeting hall in their house, all exited the room, heading off to whatever they needed to do.

Mai launched herself at Rukia, and they both squealed together. Byakuya smiled at their antics.

Mai looked at Byakuya and merely squealed again, unable to find words, and launched herself at him too, wrapping her arms around his middle in a hug. Then she gasped and stumbled back, wide-eyed as she realized what she had done.

"S-s-ssssryyyyyyyyyy." She mutilated the word she attempted as her voice broke high.

Byakuya's vaguely surprised expression melted, and he merely raised a brow at her. Mai went crimson.

Rukia began laughing her ass off as she too got over the shock, then took her sister by the hands and skipped around in circles with her, like two kids playing ring around the rosy.

Then, in unison, they dared as no one had before and both dived at Byakuya, tossing their arms around and completely encircling their stoic older brother in a hug.

He strangely didn't seem to mind, smoothing down his two sisters' hair gently.

"Welcome home, Mai."

~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~:✧:~

* Bowing with your eyes up is how you would bow to a classmate you spar with, or a stranger. Bowing with eyes down is how you bow to, per say, your Karate master, showing you trust them to watch over you.


End file.
